Copyright © by the Southern Rural Sociological Association WORLD TRADE, FARM POLICY AND AGRIBUSINESS ACCOUNTABILITY: THE ROLE OF REFLEXIVE MODERNIZATION IN CONSTRUCTING A DEMOCRATIC FOOD SYSTEM*

The future of farm policy in the United States will be influenced by trends in economic and political globalization, such as the World Trade Organization (WTO), due to the obligation of member nation-states to make domestic policies conform to international trade agreements. Commentators have noted that the WTO has been structured to favor transnational agribusiness at the expense of small farmers, food consumers, and the natural environment. However, the WTO contains contradictions that might be exploited by alternative agriculture advocates to influence Congressional interpretations of the trade agreement. This essay uses reflexive modernization theory to highlight efforts by alternative agriculture groups in the U.S. to lay bare the contradictions and advocate for agribusiness accountability, environmental protection and food sovereignty. We seek to answer whether WTO negotiations and potential farm subsidy restrictions might provide an opportunity for reforming the U.S. farm bill. The end of the 20th century and beginning of the 21st has exposed two opposing forces in the world’s food system. According to Gil Gillespie, the current president of the Agriculture, Food and Human Values Society (AFHVS), “One tendency is toward high technology, global sourcing, and disconnecting from nature, with profit being a key motivation. The other tendency is toward emphasizing natural processes and local sourcing, with building ‘community ’ and serving human needs being key motivations ” (Gillespie 2009; see also Morgan